Friday, January 24, 2014

Don't Be a Troll

If
you think a troll is a creature from a fairy tale who lives under a
bridge ready to eat goats who pass by, you are not hip to what the kids
are doing these days on that there interwebthingy. In today's networked
world, the word troll has a different meaning. A good definition is
found at the web site Internet Archive:

If you ever scroll down to the bottom of a web page--say a
YouTube video or an article--you will see a place where comments can be
posted, and if you dare to read those comments you will most likely find
some really crude and hateful stuff. This is the work of internet
trolls.

It's not clear where the term originally came from or who
coined it, but it is fitting. There is just something about the
internet that seems to allow a person's inner monster to come out.
There's been a wealth of stuff written about the false sense of
anonymity that surfing the internet seems to foster. Since people are
most likely alone when they use the internet and since they are
interacting with a two-dimensional screen filled with words or images,
they seem to forget that at the other end of this amazing network of
computer wires sit real people. This illusion of privacy tends to lead
people to do and say things they would never do or say in a face-to-face
encounter.

The internet is only a tool--granted a super-complex
ever-evolving one--so it is neither inherently good nor inherently bad.
The use the internet is put to by human beings is what can become--okay
I'll say it--evil. A lot of what people write, post, say and do on the
internet is evil stuff, and I think people carry out that evil largely
because they really don't remember they are interacting with other human
beings.

I listen to a number of podcasts (for those who don't
know the term think radio programs downloaded from the internet). The
ones I enjoy most are by comedians. Although they are rarely free of
curse words and sexual innuendos, they are often filled with brilliant
observations. For these comedians who create content for the internet,
trolls are a hazard of the profession. Although most of these comedians
are used to dealing with hecklers in a comedy club and come with thick
skin, they often cop to feelings of anger towards the internet trolls.
One comedian I listened to this week (for those keeping score it was Chris Hardwick on Andy Greenwald's Grantland podcast) described how he posted a message
about his father's recent death only to watch as the trolls filled the
comment sections on his web site with cruel jokes about his dead
father. He was surprised at how hurt and angry he felt.

That
same comedian went on to talk about how in our culture it is utterly
common to be snarky, cynical and even cruel about the work others do.
He stated that it is now a real act of character to actually publicly
declare you like something or someone, because you will have to deal
with all the trolls who do nothing but spew negativity. I thought to
myself, "Wow. that'll preach."

For all the benefits that the
internet and social media offer us, like any other form of communication
including face-to-face conversation such tools can be misused. If we
are to follow Jesus and be people of integrity, our actions need to be
the same whether we are having a face-to-face interaction or a virtual
one. Jesus' words on this subject are tough to hear: "Everything that is secret will be brought out into the open. Everything that is hidden will be uncovered.What
you have said in the dark will be heard in the daylight. What you have
whispered to someone behind closed doors will be shouted from the
rooftops." (Luke 12:2-3 NIrV) The idea that what we put out on the internet
(or put out there in a real world conversation) doesn't matter
is a delusion. We get to decide whether we will merely spew more
negativity out into an already overly negative culture or whether we
will dare to put ourselves out there in a positive, life-giving way.

(Just
in case you were wondering, keeping my inner troll on a tight leash is
at times a struggle for a minister too. Jesus' words are hard for me
to hear.)

Around the office, at the coffee shop and yes,
even at church, it is easy to slip into a pattern of cynical criticism
that only tears down others and their work. A way to find cheap
community is to join in with others' complaints. True community means
joining with others to celebrate, rejoice and aspire to better things.
It means supporting others as they deal with life's struggles rather
than kicking them when they are down.

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About Me

I'm the minister at Country Club Congregational United Church of Christ in Kansas City, MO. This blog represents my reflections on life, love, faith, politics, culture and whatever else crosses my mind. PLEASE NOTE: The opinions on this page are my own and not necessarily those of the members of my church.